


A Spooky Oktoberfest

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [265]
Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Alternate Reality, Jinnobi Challenge, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 21:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12442347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: Our lads celebrate Halloween at Der Krayton Drachen.





	A Spooky Oktoberfest

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com (or leave a comment).
> 
> Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
> 
> For  
> My beta team: Emila-Wan and Carol  
> Mali Wane and Laura McEwan for posting to the Master Apprentice ML  
> Travis for posting to the Master Apprentice Archive on AO3  
> Alex for inspiring Arcadia 
> 
> References:  
> [German cuisine - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cuisine)  
> [List of coffee drinks - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coffee_drinks)  
> [The Halloween Tree - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Halloween_Tree)  
> [The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collected_Ghost_Stories_of_M._R._James)
> 
>  
> 
> Halloween Arcadias:  
> 2003 -- [Masquerade](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1416970)  
> 2004 -- [Hallowe'en Kata](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1798078)  
> 2005 -- [Happy Tatooween](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4494276)  
> 2006 -- [Happy Tatooween, Take Two: Undercovers](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4494279)  
> 2007 -- [A Jedi Halloween](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4140561)  
> 2008 -- [Jedi Trick or Treat](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4209189)  
> 2009 -- [Return of the Jedi Halloween](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4276158)  
> 2010 -- [A Little Halloween Diplomacy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4359473)  
> 2011 -- [Hallowed Light](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4388372)  
> 2012 -- [Halloween on the Go](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397036)  
> 2013 -- [A Neighborly Halloween](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397105)  
> 2013 -- [Halloween Treats for Grown-ups](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397111)  
> 2014 -- [Groomed for Halloween](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2573033)  
> 2015 -- [Oh, Whistle and I'll Come into You, My Lad](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5100686)  
> 2016 -- [A Caffeinated Halloween ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8408710)
> 
>  
> 
> To Inya

Halloween was as bittersweet as their favorite chocolate this year for Ian and Quinn. Not only did it fall on a weeknight, but Lelia had told Ian -- as diplomatically as she could, following in her uncle's Jedi bootsteps -- that she and Han were too old to go trick-or-treating with them anymore. They had been expecting this, but it was still the end of an era, a very happy one in their lives. At least the professors had made up for their disappointment by throwing a costume party on Saturday night for their family, friends, and neighbors.

Since Lelia no longer insisted they come as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, they'd been free to go as whatever characters they pleased. Although both of them would rather have stuck with the beloved pair of Jedi, they decided to honor Lelia's new maturity with different costumes this year. Ian chose another kind of knight -- Elmont, the captain of the King's Guard in 'Jack the Giant Slayer'. Quinn did the same, going as Knight Godfrey of Ibelin in 'Kingdom of Heaven'. Artoo and Sandy made the furriest squires they'd ever seen for the evening.

Halloween nights were made for Halloween knights, Jedi or otherwise.

When Tuesday rolled around, the professors were in the mood to try something a little different this time. So Ian went online to do some research on the activities available close to home. One possibility leaped out at him -- a beer garden near Alder Run had extended its celebration of Oktoberfest through tonight, instead of the traditional ending in early October. Der Krayton Drachen (The Krayt Dragon) had been recommended by the Changs, as well, when it had first opened a couple of years ago. He asked Quinn if he wanted to take advantage of the special menu, and his herven said yes immediately, which clinched it. Ian went ahead and made reservations for 7 pm that night.

After their classes, office hours, and meetings were over on Tuesday evening, they hopped in the THX with the ragtop down, and Quinn drove to the town of Krayton, further west along the Hudson Valley than Alder Run, about 12 miles from home. It was lucky Ian had made the reservations for 7; there was a traffic jam on the Taconic Parkway that left them running 15 minutes later than they had planned.

Quinn spotted the inn sign board easily from the road, with its forest-green dragon flying over a sky-blue background. He chuckled as he thought of Tolkien's dragon Smaug, but the Hudson Valley was as far from the Lonely Mountain as it gets.

The restaurant was a delightful example of Old-World charm, made of brick with green awnings over the mullioned windows. As soon as he saw there were tables on a cobblestoned terrace bordered by topiaries, Quinn caught Ian's eye, and when his lad gave a little nod, he asked the hostess to be seated out there.

Luckily, the temperature was 65 degrees, so both of them were content outside in their corduroy jackets and slacks, which they wore with their new belts with the Celtic knot design that they'd gotten at the Alder Run 300 street fair just last month. The leather was already broken in, so they were as comfortable as could be.

The hostess had seated them in a cozy corner of the terrace, right by a topiary lion, close enough for Ian to touch the mane. The tablecloth was cream-colored, with brown napkins folded in a fan on top of their Pfaltzgraff plates in the Acadia Bay Blue design.

There were other couples and families around them, but the tables were spaced far enough apart to give diners their privacy. The occasional laugh, cough, or snatch of conversation wafted over to them, but the men were so engrossed in their own conversation, they just ignored it.

A beer garden was the perfect name to describe their surroundings, since there were flower pots, miniature trees, and vines everywhere. The natural fragrances intoxicated Quinn more than the beer he planned to order ever could. He felt cocooned by the Living Force, which breathed enchantment into the air around them.

Their waiter came by with menus written in calligraphy. The soup of the day was apple-cider cream, which they'd never tried before. Many of their favorite meat dishes were there: sauerbraten, stuffed cabbage, bockwurst, schnitzel, and goulash. The side dishes also looked enticing: dumplings, red cabbage, spaetzle, asparagus, and turnips. But the desserts were particularly scrumptuous: Black Forest cake, Sacher torte, apple strudel, linzer cookies, and marzipan.

After much high-level diplomacy, along with expert negotiations -- which would have left the Trade Federation in the dust -- the men chose their meals with sharing in mind. Both of them wanted the apple-cider soup. Ian ordered the Wiener schnitzel with spaetzle and red cabbage, while Quinn decided on the sauerbraten with dumplings and asparagus. For dessert, they'd split a slice of Sacher torte and dark-chocolate-covered marzipan squares. Two pints of Hofbrau beer would wash it all down nicely.

They sat back in their garden paradise, sipping water and spreading butter on their warm brotchen (rolls). The waiter came by with beer steins -- dark blue with cream-colored cottages on them -- bubbling over with froth, despite their lids.

"Snow on the roof," Ian chuckled, pointing to the froth decorating their cottages.

Quinn's laughter blended with Ian's. "Just wait a couple of months, and we'll have some, too." He was happy to see that Ian scooped up the foam with a finger, instead of licking it off the stein, and quickly popped his thumb in his mouth with no attempt at seductiveness.

Ian leaned back in his chair and took the first proper sip of his beer. "Ahh," he sighed appreciatively.

"Now this is a memorable Halloween for us!" said Quinn, at his most jovial. He was trying to cheer Ian up, since they both felt the ghost of little Lelia at the table, after years of spooky fun with her.

"Nice to try something new," Ian said gamely, then took a sip of water. "After all, I know we'll never outgrow each other."

Quinn was relieved to hear the good humor in his lad's voice, despite their avuncular disappointment. He put his huge paw on top of Ian's and squeezed his fingers, relishing the feel of his husband's wedding band beneath his hand. "No matter how many years go by, laddie mine."

Ian's eyes shone the most beautiful shade of blue-green Quinn had ever seen. "I'm actually delighted that we got to celebrate here just under the wire," Ian said. "Tomorrow, they're going back to their regular menu, without all the extra bells and whistles, like the five special entree, vegetable, and dessert choices for dinner they have now."

"You're right, lad. We picked the perfect night to come." Quinn looked out over the terrace and was bewitched. Lights were strung across the topiaries, along with jack o' lanterns, a timely reminder of Ray Bradbury's wonderful novel, 'The Halloween Tree', which he had given Lelia last week, since he thought it was a perfect seasonal present for her. The breeze made the leaves and decorations rustle, in a fitting coda to October.

Tomorrow would be the first day of what always felt like a mad dash to the holiday season, but for tonight, they could just sit here and relax, savoring each other's company, along with the exotic food.

Their waiter brought the soup, along with pumpkin fritters, and the aroma alone was enough to start them salivating.

Ian blew on his first spoonful, trying hard not to be provocative. But he was secretly glad that after almost fifteen years together, he could still get a rise -- literally! -- out of his husband from such a little thing. He tasted it and closed his eyes in bliss; it tasted like apple-pie filling with whipped cream whisked in, all warm from the oven. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves teased his tongue, and when he dipped a fritter in, it became a fusion of pumpkin and apple pie, like Quinn made when blending them at holiday dinners.

Meanwhile, Quinn had already spooned up half the bowl; he had mushed the fritters into the soup, using them as croutons. "How about some spooky reading tonight, Ian?"

"Oh, I'd love it," Ian said. "Can't decide between the first chapter of 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' and 'Canon Alberic's Scrap-book'."

"Since I just covered Bradbury in class today, "I'll read you James' story." Quinn smiled; M.R. James had become something of a Halloween tradition for them; last Friday night, they had hosted their annual 'Ghosts in the Library' presentation at the Roxburgh Classics Library on the Luke campus. This year, they'd chosen to dramatize 'Canon Alberic's Scrap-book' and had given welcome chills to their audience, as always. But Quinn looked forward even more to his private performance just for Ian.

"Now that's a bedtime story perfect for Halloween! Can't wait until you read it to me -- the way you do the laughter in the chapel is always so cool." Ian gave a pleasant little shiver and went back to his soup.

A couple of minutes after they'd finished, their waiter arrived with the main course. Sauerbraten and schnitzel were divvied up nicely, along with the side dishes. Ian must have squeezed two lemons' worth of juice onto his veal, and Quinn was hoarding his dumplings full of muenster cheese. Their conversation would have to wait until the edge was off their hunger.

They ate slowly, savoring each bite of their Oktoberfest feast. Ian saved his spaetzle for last, while Quinn drooled over his dumplings. By the time both of them finished everything on their plates, they looked all but fresh from the dishwasher.

Quinn sat back, replete, savoring the wonderful meal, his lad's sweet smile, and the gleam of their wedding rings in the soft glow of the topiary lights.

Their waiter brought the desserts out with a flourish -- he put the Sacher torte in the center of the table with a fork on either side. The marzipan had its own little plate, drizzled with chocolate and vanilla swirls.

The waiter asked if they would like a specialty coffee and recited a list of them, each more exotic than the last. Quinn decided to go for a Kaffee Kirsch, laced with cherry liqueur. It made the Sacher torte taste a little like Black Forest cake, with the welcome addition of apricot preserves. Ian chose the Rudesheimer Kaffee, coffee with brandy and a dollop of whipped cream.

They lingered over their desserts and coffee until they heard the Black Forest cuckoo clock chime 9 pm from inside the restaurant, near the door to the terrace.

"Too bad we have First Period classes tomorrow," Quinn said. "I've written my lecture notes, but I want to look over the end of 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. I didn't finish covering it in my last class."

Ian said, "Yeah, I'm still lecturing on 'The Turn of the Screw', too." This was a ghost story by another James -- Henry -- with an ambiguous ending that scholars were still debating to this day.

When the waiter brought their check, he left two additional treats on the tray -- After Eight mints, one of their favorite ways to finish a meal, what with their burst of peppermint. Quinn thanked him for their excellent dinner, which had him beaming at them. Ian paid with his MasterGuard, and they used the facilities.

After they left Der Krayton Drachen and walked up the flagstone pathway to the parking lot, Quinn noticed that they were alone for the first time that night. He instantly took advantage of it by putting his arm around Ian and swooping in for a kiss; Ian had tilted his head up to meet his lips, and the meeting of their mouths was magical.

Just what Halloween was all about.


End file.
